The ultimate heli-ski, cattle ranching, bear tracking safari

(CNN) — I'm knee deep in the icy Atnarko River in central British Columbia. A belt is cinched across my chest waders to prevent water from dragging me under if I slip in.

Cougar tracks are pressed into the snow on the bank.

At least the grizzlies, which feast on spawning salmon here each fall, are napping this time of year.

On this morning, my guide Jai Condon demonstrates the art of fly-fishing.

He flicks the rod. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. And, releases.

"How do you lay the line down so nicely?" someone asks.

"Practice," he says, laughing.

I'm terrible. I don't get a nibble even though trout can be caught year round in the Bella Coola Valley, about 1,000 kilometers north of Vancouver. I didn't come here to fish, but I'm hooked.

Magical geography

Heavy fog scuttles my first full day of heli-snowboarding.

But Bella Coola Heli Sports has a genius Plan B, C, D, and so on, for the inevitable down days.

Conceived as an exclusive year-round resort appealing to the hard-core athlete looking for the kind of snow porn experience they've seen in ski movies, Bella Coola also keeps the grumpy, grounded adventurer content.

Glaciers that date back to the last ice age blanket the Coast Mountains, which erupt from sea level to its highest peak, Mt. Waddington, at 4,019 meters.

This landscape doubled for the Himalayas in feature films "Seven Years in Tibet" and "Kundun." Sir Edmund Hillary even trained here.

And, 30 meters of snow piles up annually.

"Wow, this place is on steroids," Steiner recalls of his first visit.

"Everything about it is big. The trees are big. The mountains are big. The glaciers are big. The biggest fjords in the Americas. It's all big."

While the heli-ski industry was booming along the spine of the continent, nobody was operating here. The three mountain men applied for, and to their surprise, secured 10,700 square kilometers of terrain.

Once you've powdered through these mountains, even Whistler will lose its rush.

Courtesy Era Berger/Bella Coola Heli Sports

"You know junkies looking for their next fix? says Eric Enquist, the more daring half of the Finnish couple. "Now, I know what they were talking about."

Nobody is oblivious to the danger as we pick through recent avalanche debris and watch an ice sheet give way from a mountainside.

Condon, my fishing guide, later returns to the lodge cradling a block of that ancient ice. Chipped into glasses of scotch and other libations, I'm happy to have it dilute my spirits.

On my last day -- another when the helicopter can't fly -- Begin takes a group to the town of Bella Coola, population 852, which the Nuxalk First Nation calls home. The influence of aboriginal peoples, who have been in the region for 10,000 years, is everywhere.

Totem poles dot the streets.

Along Big Cedars Trail, an old-growth forest with massive trees features one that has been hollowed out to smoke fish.

It smells of meat.

Not far away, but tough to find without a guide, are the Thorsen Creek petroglyphs, a collection of mysterious rock carvings.

Brushing off a light dusting of snow, we find dozens of etchings of human faces, animals and geometric patterns.

The origins are still debated, but it's little wonder First Nations peoples consider this place sacred.

As I step back into the present, I learn all flights home are scrubbed due to strong winds and heavy snow.

I'm told this is a once-a-year event, leaving me happily stranded in Shangri-La.

Ferry: B.C. Ferries from Port Hardy on the north coast of Vancouver Island.

Drive: 12-14 hours from Vancouver

Heli-ski rates vary December to April and packages range from three to seven nights. For a standard week, prices start at $9,786 to $11,435 plus tax ($10,680-$12,480 Canadian) including the flight from Vancouver.

Summer and fall rates at Tweedsmuir Lodge include a two-night minimum, and during peak grizzly bear season, which runs Sept. 1-Oct. 14, guests must book three- to five-night packages at $2,272 to $3,555 ($2,480-- $3,880 Canadian)